The Green hut used to be a youth club, Billy Powel was the youth leader there, he could tame any of the Whiteleas hard lads, Respect it was called, had some brilliant times in that place, Billy used to live on the corner beside the roundabout at Nevinson and whiteleas way, even when he was gettin on a bit he would still wear his tracky bottoms, i always used to speak to him and he would always call me "Bonny Lad" he was one top bloke was Billy, Respect !

Went there when it was the youth club and had some great times there,your right about Billy Poweli,Dave he could tame the hard lads,he had been a decent boxer as well,nice to see your still posting Dave.

Aye, the Green Hut was a great place.
Used to be a remedial reading school just before it was the youth club.
It was funnythe way the girls wpould dance to teeny-bop stuff at the discos, then, as soon as you heard Paranoid or Status Quo or Hawkwind, the lads would get up and shake their hair all over!!!

I used to organize the 5-a-side footie with Billy, at Mortimer school gym.
He was a great mentor, and as hard as nails, but always a gentleman.

The Wild Witch-Wizard of Whiteleas
Was a changeling's son from Mars.
He learnt his songs
From the Cosmic Throngs
And played them on a Fender guitar - Oh yeah.

My school days there were bloody freezing one consolation used to be an old woman across from the school used to make toffee cakesand coconut ice uesd to buy it when we had money as I said earlier closed as a school when whiteleas Juniors opened favourite teacher at that school (re, hots for ) Miss Milburn, King was the first headmaster, liberal with the cane ah happy days

Hi Barney, ya right there about the lads (Dancing) !! in the green hut, hey man I was one of them Do you remember the lady that used to dish the coke and sweets out, ? was she called Betty, what a great place that was, we used to pile in there on a thursday night and watch "Top of the Pops" and Monty Python, then try and get tapped up with the lasses (na Chance) Billy let us paint it so we did it out with black paint we had them ultra violet lights that used ta show ya dandruff up wicked, (also the girls white Bra's, through their tops) ahh man, we were easy pleased,

Ha-ha!! Hi Dave. Those ultraviolet lights were so cool - you looked like Dr Who when you stood under them - ancient!! LOL I remember the day-glo paint well. That was fun, and so psychedelic, like those tie-dyed shirts we all wore!! Seems like every youth club had a Betty there, to add that motherly touch!!

Thursday were great, bopping away to Whole Lotta Love as they counted down the Top 10 on Top of the Pops.
It was a shame the place wasn't open for the Old Grey Whistle Test - that would have been a hoot!!!

The Wild Witch-Wizard of Whiteleas
Was a changeling's son from Mars.
He learnt his songs
From the Cosmic Throngs
And played them on a Fender guitar - Oh yeah.

Barney wrote:Ha-ha!! Hi Dave. Those ultraviolet lights were so cool - you looked like Dr Who when you stood under them - ancient!! LOL

Thursday were great, bopping away to Whole Lotta Love as they counted down the Top 10 on Top of the Pops.
It was a shame the place wasn't open for the Old Grey Whistle Test - that would have been a hoot!!!

Whispering Bob Harris, I used to love the whistle test. Some great performances on there. Alex Harvey Band, Focus, Robin Trower Band.
I remember the UV lights as well, all the lads shaking their hair about to Hawkwind, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd etc.
But those strobe lights used to do my head in, give me a headache and made everything look like it was moving in slow motion.

Big relief for the lasses when George McCrae came on or The Osmonds, David Cassidy or The Drifters........
ok, ok, well, some of them sounded ok.

Hiya Barney, I've got two of them ultra violet lights in my house now man Ha Ha how sad is that eh, I'v got a small recording Studio on the top floor of my house and i have them in there, just the thing ta get ya in the mood for some rock stuff, i'm looking out for one of them oil lamps that shines all them lush hippy paterns on the wall (Sad Act, i Know) all i need now is a pair of "LOONS" and some Platform boots and i'm made mate,

Malymac ! I still play all them songs now when i DJ, every sat and sun in the pub next door to my house, have done for the last 5 years, no one caters for our age group in towns now, it's all about getting the kids lashed and get their cash of them, i'v just got a external hard drive for my laptop (650 Gig) i'v got 15,000 albums on and it hasn't even touched it yet , and i have 2000 C.D.s waiting to be coppied, so something for everyone,

Bandana Dave wrote: Malymac ! I still play all them songs now when i DJ, every sat and sun in the pub next door to my house, have done for the last 5 years, no one caters for our age group in towns now, it's all about getting the kids lashed and get their cash of them, i'v just got a external hard drive for my laptop (650 Gig) i'v got 15,000 albums on and it hasn't even touched it yet , and i have 2000 C.D.s waiting to be coppied, so something for everyone,

Jeeez, I thought I was doing well with about a thousand albums. No chance of yer getting bored with the same song then....
It's great that your still doing yer thing and enjoying it. Finding a place playing our sort of stuff is really difficult. Well done Dave. =D>
I hope you get plenty of support from the locls and they appreciate what yer doing there.

Bandana Dave wrote:Hiya Barney, I've got two of them ultra violet lights in my house now man Ha Ha how sad is that eh, I'v got a small recording Studio on the top floor of my house and i have them in there, just the thing ta get ya in the mood for some rock stuff, i'm looking out for one of them oil lamps that shines all them lush hippy paterns on the wall (Sad Act, i Know) all i need now is a pair of "LOONS" and some Platform boots and i'm made mate,

Ha-ha!! I guess that makes me sad too, Dave!! I've got a couple of 'em too. Over here, they call them black lights, and they're getting to be all the rage again.
So are lava lamps and oil projectors, man, just like back then. Everything's retro over here nowadays. Even them polyester shirts!!!

Sounds like you have quite the music collection there.

Yep, malay, the OGWT was a great show. First place I heard Rush playing Xanadu - excellent.
And Hawkwind playing PXR5 and Damnation Alley.
Alex Harvey doing Delilah is still one of my favourite tracks - but if you see it on YouTube - see if you recognise the popstar sitting with Bob Harris applauding.
Good times.

The Wild Witch-Wizard of Whiteleas
Was a changeling's son from Mars.
He learnt his songs
From the Cosmic Throngs
And played them on a Fender guitar - Oh yeah.

Hey guys, i think we have ta face it, were "Throwbacks" now, nothing wrong with that i say, Oh and "Lava Lamps" Got one, "Music Centre" (with Record Deck and Cassete player) Got one, "Ash tray with push down top" got one, wait till ya hear this "Wrights, Ginger Biscuit Club Badge" Got one Impressed or what i'll stick some photos in the Gallery under "Sad Act" i've got a collection of Shields Stuff, i've just aquired a brilliant school photo from the South Shields High School For Boys dated May 1933, its about 3 foot wide and framed up, i'll try and get a good picture of it and post it, i've got a load of my old pay slips from readheads yard when the lads owned it, used to be a paint sprayer there, Alfie Watson, who was one of the main men was maried to my dads cousin, happy days, i used to work at the vidor factory as well, my dad worked in the Tyne Chemicals, just seen a brilliant photo on the site, Edna Wardle used to be the fork lift driver there for years, she got me the job, i didn't last long cos i crushed the formans foot while loading battery cases Nightmare working with the "Black Mix", i'm waffelin now,

Cheers Anna, I'll have a look ! I used to get some right stick off the lasses, i used to stick the black mix in the machine what a job that was i bought a Vespa scooter of one of the lads who worked there, i spent more time round the back playing with it and riding up and down the Quay i think my wage at the time was £19 or something stupid like that

Hi all
I've just joined. I'm tracing my family tree and was looking for some school photos.
I remember going to the 'green hut'. Not a happy time for me I'm afraid, I hated it and just wanted to be at home. I was the one who used to cry all the time and whenever there was play time, I used to sneak out through the gap in the fence, where the boys used to make dens, and run home, over to Copley Ave. This must have been terrible for the teacher to think that she had lost a child! I was told I was a very naughty girl and threatened with the police!!!!!
Yes I can remember the toffee cakes and coconut ice that the lady used to make in the corner house across the road, I can smell and taste them now.
I also remember going to Nevison infants schools where my mum worked as dinner lady in later years, and then moved to Whiteleas Juniors where my teacher was Mrs Maine I think. I loved English and drama but she never ever gave me a speaking part, I think I was a sheep at one point. Thomas and Suzanne always got the best parts. Moved to stinky Brinky secondary after that.